Early Files 11-21-08

BarnstablePatriotArchives, November24, 1988 FIVE LITTLE INDIANS – Preparing for Thanksgiving are these braves and squaws from the Children’s Path Nursery and Daycare in West Barnstable. From left are: Claire Hawley, Centerville, Ted Osmun, Marstons Mills, Jesse Baker, Marstons Mills, Michelle Greer, West Barnstable and Kyle Schaefer of Marstons Mills.

1838

In Cotuit, an infant daughter of Mr. Lewis Phinney perished when the child's mother placed it with another of her children at the table, left them to finish their breakfast while she went to a neighbor's house but a little way from her own. On her return she found it wrapped in flame; and it was so severely burned, that notwithstanding the restoratives that were applied, the little sufferer soon ceased to breathe.1868 A new cemetery named Oak Grove has recently been laid out in the beautiful grove in the vicinity of the residence of Samuel Snow, Esq., in Hyannis, by several public-spirited gentlemen of that thriving village. The site is well selected, being one of the most beautiful and picturesque anywhere to be found, and is capable of being made one of the prettiest and most attractive cemeteries in the County.1898 The most severe storm in years set in at about 9 o'clock Saturday evening and by midnight was a howling gale. All day Sunday the gale continued accompanied with sleet and rain. The wind blew at a velocity of sixty to seventy miles an hour and trees, chimneys, windmills and fences were laid low all about town. The telegraph wires are down in every direction and communication with the outside world is completely cut off. At the Brickyard at West Barnstable about 300 feet of railroad track was washed out.1908 Work is almost completed on the new cut at West Bay, and now the boatmen of Osterville will have one of the finest boat harbors on the south side of the Cape, with a channel wide enough to beat in or out on any tide. In years gone by all the boating from this place had to go by Cotuit, a distance of six miles through a very narrow and crooked channel and many a time it was the cause of fishermen and boatmen having to stay a night in an open boat while waiting for the tide to turn or the winds to breeze up. When the channel is done there will be eight feet of water through the cut at a mean low tide.1918 Have you raised a Hog? If so you have done a good bit for your country. Now send that meat to me and have it home cured into the most delicious hams and bacon. I have been curing meats for the past five years and have given general satisfaction to the people in this section of the Cape. Perhaps I can please you. Box your meat securely and ship by freight or express to me at West Barnstable. The transportation charge will be but a trifle from any point of Barnstable or Plymouth counties. My charge for curing is 2 ½ cents per pound. J. A. Stevens , located near Barnstable Town House.1928 Large audiences attending performances at Idlehour Theatre, Hyannis, during this week, have placed their unqualified approval on the Phototone, which has been installed to furnish musical accompaniment for the high grade motion pictures shown regularly at that theatre. It is the first Phototone to be installed in any theatre on Cape Cod, and as it incorporates several of the Movietone qualities with other new features, patrons have expressed themselves as highly pleased with the results.1938 The Barnstable Selectmen notified interested parties this week that they have refused a petition for a zoning law variation in Barnstable village to permit establishment of a hospital on the former Bessie Priest property. A large group of Barnstable village residents and summer residents opposed granting of the variance. Someone remarked there were more Barnstable village people together at one time than they had ever seen before. Many property owners drove down from Boston to attend.1948 Mr. John Marriman, who bought the old Eldredge house across the street from Harry Atwood's garage, went digging on the West Barnstable flats last Saturday morning around 9 a.m. When hours kept passing and Mr. Marriman did not return home, Mrs. Marriman became worried and notified the chief of the fire department Harry Atwood who with a posse went searching for Mr. Marriman. Finally as darkness fell, he was rescued. He had been perched for five hours on a clump of marsh grass, a mile off shore to save himself from being drowned, for he can't swim. Mrs. Marriman says she doesn't expect to eat another clam.1958 A 95 day old mystery was solved when a town hunter located a missing plane in the dense woods off Mary Dunn Road, about a mile north of the Barnstable Municipal Airport. Found in the plane were the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Albert J. Richmond of Andover, who had taken off from the airport on August 30. Their failure to arrive at their destination caused an intensive search of the woodlands, which lasted several days. After the search it was thought that the plane might have crashed into Cape Cod Bay, although no wreckage was ever located.1968 "Deadwood Dick" which was acclaimed to be the funniest play ever produced by the Barnstable Masquers did not fall short of its promise, but left the audiences in sheer hysterics. The play which utilized new talent was well received by the capacity crowds. The club's coach, James Ruberti said, "It came off very well…Even better than I had expected."1978 "I'd like to see a headline saying, "Scouting dead in Osterville---symptom of youth problem." It was John B. Cotton Jr. speaking. Cotton is (or was) the chairman of the troop committee of Osterville Boy Scout Troop 51. Cotton has been battling for the last year or two to keep Troop 51 alive. It appears top have been a losing battle. "Personally, I can't stand failing—and I think I've failed," he told the Patriot. It wasn't for lack of effort. For one thing, they sent letters to 150 parents of prospective Osterville scouts; About 15 said they would come to a meeting to revive the trio. Two showed up.1988 Pool revenues from the Kennedy Memorial on the Hyannis waterfront reached a five year high, as members of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Trust Fund Committee reported Nov. 29 that more than $2000 in coins was collected from the fountain during 1988. According to committee chairman Larry Murphy, approximately $2060 was collected as of the meeting. The figure is not exact says Murphy, because town clerk Aune Cahoon has not official verified the amount. The funds will be used primarily by the town's recreation department.1998 The town council received its annual budgetary wake-up call Saturday morning in a special session with the school committee. Town Director of Finance Mark Milne presented the grim financial forecasts for the coming years, which start out $1.7 million or so in the hole. The basic message is that between all sources of revenue – taxes, local receipts, grants and state aid – the town cannot cover its operational cost.